Gender based violence still rampant in Tanzania

DAILY NEWS Reporter

 

STATISTICS indicate that 73 per cent of girls and 72 per cent of boys have experienced violence which includes being slapped, kicked or getting caned, that indicate gender violence still exists.

It indicates that 60 per cent of the violence was conducted by family members, where 21.6 per cent of girls and 17.7 per cent of boys have experienced psychological torture.

Speaking of the 16 days of fighting violence in the country, the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) Managing Director Lilian Liundi, said that gender violence hinders the youth in achieving their dreams.

“In a research on violence against children which was conducted in 2009, it was estimated that by 18 years, 28 per cent of girls and 10 per cent of boys are sexually abused, especially at home,” she said.

She said that there is a big number of children who drop out of school, with the number of girls leading in the equation. She further said that only 65.3 per cent of children who are enrolled complete primary school.

Ms Liundi said that records show that 37 per cent of girls get married before they reach 18 years, which indicates there is still the existence of gender imbalance, something which hinders the development of women.

She said that although the number of girls getting married at an early age has reduced, the number of girls getting married is still high, saying that regions which are leading in early marriages include Manyara (71%), Dodoma (64%), Arusha (59%), Shinyanga (59%), Tabora (58%) and Mara (55%).

Regions with the lowest number are Dar es Salaam with 8 per cent and Iringa with 17 per cent. She further said that despite the challenges facing children, in reality the girl child does not benefit from her right to education, especially considering their biological nature, where some of them miss school at least three to seven days days every month.

She said that girls are also faced with outdated practices which force her to carry family responsibilities, adding that the marriage act of 1971 does not make matters better. On marking the 16 days of fighting gender violence, TGNP will bring together about 800 experts in a workshop which will discuss several topics on gender violence.